Efsinfo Overview

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Efsinfo.exe: Encrypting File System Information

This command-line tool displays information about files that are encrypted with Encrypting File System (EFS) on NTFS partitions.

The user can also encrypt or decrypt a file by using the command-line tool Cipher, included with the Windows XP Professional or Windows Server 2003 operating system CD.

Efsinfo.exe info is useful for finding certificate thumbprints.

Corresponding UI

The Encryption Details Dialog Box lists the user accounts with the associated certificate thumbprint who have access to a particular file. It provides an interface to manage access to an encrypted file and displays a list of Data Recovery Agents.

To access the Encryption Details Dialog Box right click an encrypted file and click Properties. In the File Properties Dialog Box, click Advanced. In the Advanced Attributes Dialog Box click Details to open the Encryption Details Dialog Box.

Concepts

EFS is a feature of Windows that enables users to encrypt and decrypt files. Using EFS, users can protect files from unauthorized access to their sensitive data, including from a stolen laptop or external disk drive. Folders themselves are not encrypted, but are marked so that files that are created within them will be encrypted.

Accessing an EFS folder is controlled by an ACL, not the certificate key. Only the file access is controlled by certificate keys.

In EFS, users work with encrypted files just as they do with any other files, and the encryption is transparent. If the EFS user is the same person who encrypted the file or folder, then the system decrypts the file or folder when the user accesses it later. However, unauthorized users are prevented from access to encrypted files or folders.

For more information on EFS, see "Encrypting File System overview" in Help for Windows Server 2003. For more information on NTFS, see "NTFS" in Help for Windows Server 2003.

System Requirements

The following are the system requirements for EFSInfo:

  • Windows XP Professional or Windows Server 2003

File Required

  • Efsinfo.exe

See Also

Concepts

Efsinfo Syntax
Efsinfo Examples
Alphabetical List of Tools
Topchk.cmd
Rsdir Overview
Rsdiag Overview
Iologsum Overview
Health_chk Overview
Ftonline Overview
Filever Overview
Efsinfo Overview
Dmdiag Overview
Dskprobe Overview
Diruse Overview
Dfsutil Overview
Connstat Overview
Cabarc Overview
Bitsadmin Overview
Xcacls Overview
Sidwkr.dll
Sidwalker Security Administration Tools
Sidwalk Overview
Showaccs Overview
Sdcheck Overview
Ktpass Overview
Ksetup Overview
Getsid Overview
Addiag.exe